Aerator with improved air supply



Oct. 18, 1966 E. P. AGHNIDES' AERATQR WITH IMPROVED AIR SUPPLY Filed Dec. 28, 1962 FIG. 2.

INVENTOR. Elie PAghriides ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,279,702 AERATOR WITH IMPROVED Am SUPPLY Elie P. Aglmides, 46 W. 54th St., New York, N.Y. Filed Dec. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 247,966 2 Claims. (Cl. 239-4285) This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior copending application Serial No. 84,616, filed January 24, 1961, entitled Fluid Mixing Device, which in turn is a continuation of my prior copending application Serial No. 351,907, filed April 29, 1953, entitled Fluid Mixing Device, now abandoned. This application is also a continuation-in-part of my prior copending application Serial No. 752,458, filed August 1, 1958, entitled Water Taps Having Improved Aerator Spouts.

This invention relates to aerators, and more particularly to the form of aerator often used on a household water faucet.

Originally, such aerators had air inlets through the side wall of the device which proved to be unsanitary, and in my U.S. Patent No. 2,998,927, granted September 15, 1961, entitled Fluid Mixing Devices, I taught an im provement in which the air was brought in at the downstream end of the aerator instead of through the side wall. The present invention is a further improvement which secures a more sanitary air flow path as well as more eflicient use of the cross-sectional area of the aerator.

The invention has as its principal object the provision of an improved aerator of the type in which the air enters at the downstream end.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an aerator which is more sanitary than prior art aerators.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an aerator in which the cross-section area of the casing is more efliciently utilized than has heretofore been possible.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a low cost aerator and one that is easy to manufacture.

Other objects of the invention will appear as this description proceeds.

Broadly speaking, the improved aerator of this application involves a casing having longitudinal ribs projecting inwardly from the inner side wall thereof. These ribs provide a pair of shoulders, the upper one of which supports a jet forming device which converts the incoming water into high velocity jets, and the lower or downstream one of which supports the mixing means (preferably screens). Other features of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a cross sectional view of one form of the invention taken from my prior copending application Serial No. 84,616, filed January 24, 1961, now Patent No. 3,232,541, entitled Fluid Mixing Device.

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view of another form of my invention taken from my prior copending application Serial No. 752,458, filed August 1, 1958, entitled Water Taps Having Improved Aerating Spouts, now abandoned.

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view of another form of my invention.

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of still another form of the invention.

Referring to the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1, the neck portion is provided with a plurality of orifices 11 and only a single perforated disc 12 is positioned on the annular shoulder 13. The orifices 11 and the disc 12 are the jet forming means. The mixing means comprises a plurality of perforate discs or screens 14 together with a metal rim 20 having a tapered upstream end flange 16 3,279,702 Patented Oct. 18, 1966 and a tapered downstream end flange 17. The rim 20 is held in the discharge end of the member 15 by spaced ribs 18 projecting inward from the inner surface of the member. The spaces 19 between the ribs 18 constitute air inlet passages to admit air to the space between the jet forming disc 12 and the upper end of the mixing screen unit. In FIGURE 1 the air inlet passages are grooves or channels around the edge of the mixing means unit.

FIGURE 2 shows an alternative form of construction. In this alternative form, the water tap 22 is threaded at 23 to receive a unitary jet forming and fluid mixing means. This unit preferably includes a diaphragm which is substantially similar in construction to the disc 12 already described in FIGURE 1. The cut-away portion shows ribs 25 which extend longitudinally along the inner wall of the said unitary means. A tubular casing 26 makes a friction fit with, and is frictionally supported by, ribs 25. The casing 26 and screens 27 and 28 constitute mixing means. Air enters through the longitudinal grooves between the ribs 25. The screens 27 and 28 are kept in position by the central stud 29. This alternative construction of FIGURE 2 produces an aerated stream of round cross section due to the restriction of the outlet end. It is understood that water tap 22 could be threaded at its lowermost end, and the unitary means 24 may also be threaded adjacent its downstream end. The downstream end 29b will prevent chipping, when said end is made out of soft plastic. The screens 27 and 28 are supported by frame 29a.

In FIGURE 3, the metal casing 30 has an inner wall with a plurality of vertical ribs 31 extending therefrom and terminating in lips 32. The upstream disc 33 rests on the top ends of the projecting ribs 31 and the downstream screen 34 has a frame 35 which is supported by the lips 32. Screen 34 and frame 35 constitute mixing means.

In FIGURE 4, the metal casing 40 has indents 41 cut into its inner side wall leaving ribs 42. These ribs terminate in in-turned lips 43 which support the mixing means (frame 44 and the screens 45). The upstream diaphragm 46 may be supported in any suitable manner as by projection 47 resting on the upper frame 44. The walls between the ribs forming the bottoms of the grooves extend parallel to the axis of the aerator in a diverging downstreamed direction.

In all of the aforesaid aerators, the water from the faucet passes through the upstream disc where it is transformed into high-velocity jets of small cross section. These jets impinge upon the downstream screens in the presence of air so that the water is finely broken up and mixed with air to produce a white coherent output stream laden with numerous small bubbles. Air enters the extreme bottom of the aerator and passes between the ribs to the space, between the upstream disc and the downstream screens, which may be called the mixing space.

A comparison of FIGURES 3 and 4 shows the advantage of the construction of FIGURE 4 over that of FIG- URE 3. In both of these figures, the outside diameter of the casing is the same, as shown by the radius R. Moreover, the air inlet space A is the same in each case, as is the wall thickness T. However, the advantage of FIGURE 4 over FIGURE 3 is shown by the fact that the radius available for water is greater in FIGURE 4 (where it bears reference R) than it is in FIGURE 3 (where it bears reference R). FIG. #4 is a crosssectional view taken from my prior copending application, Serial No. 847,823 for Deposit-proof Water Aerators filed October 21, 1960, now abandoned, which is in turn a continuation-in-part of my application, Serial a a) No. 831,185 for Aerator with Improved Air Supply, filed August 3, 1959, now US. Patent No. 2,998,926.

I claim to have invented:

1. An aerator comprising a casing having an inner side wall with a plurality of spaced ribs projecting inwardly from the side wall and providing air inlet paths along the inner side wall of the casing between the ribs, said ribs having inward projections, mixing means resting on said projections, the inner side wall of the casing between the ribs extending about parallel to the axis of the aerator from the downstream end of the aerator to a level above the mixing means, and jet forming means located in the casing and spaced above the mixing means,

2. The aerator of claim 1 in which supporting means References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Bachli et a1. 239-432 Aghnides.

Aghnides.

Benjamin et al.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN AERATOR COMPRISING A CASING HAVING AN INNER SIDE WALL WITH A PLURALITY OF SPACED RIBS PROJECTING INWARDLY FROM THE SIDE WALL AND PROVIDING AIR INLET PATHS ALONG THE INNER SIDE WALL OF THE CASING BETWEEN THE RIBS, SAID RIBS HAVING INWARD PROJECTIONS, MIXING MEANS RESTING ON SAID PROJECTIONS, THE INNER SIDE WALL OF THE CASING BETWEEN THE RIBS EXTENDING ABOUT PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE AERATOR FROM THE DOWNSTREAM END OF THE AERATOR TO A LEVEL ABOVE THE MIXING MEANS, AND JET FORMING MEANS LOCATED IN THE CASING AND SPACED ABOVE THE MIXING MEANS. 